Big digs

Son P has taken on the project of putting in a retaining wall. (Why is he being so nice?) Looks good, don't you think? The new nesting box is in as well. i pretty much had a lazy weekend (no guilt). i really couldn't get much done with P's project going on.

Well, chickies and roos, i really am tired but i wanted to get pictures posted of the wall. We only had to buy a dozen new bricks because we reused bricks from a faux wall out front. As you know if you read me much, i love, love, love reusing. The new nesting box was made out of a salvaged shipping crate, a few screws, and some leftover primer. Nice!

i know i haven't blogged much about politics lately. i hope i don't disappoint, mi amigos. i will say that i think John McCain is performing contortions any acrobat would admire, in order to justify torture. We must atone, chickies and roos. That's the only way to truly do the right thing. Face the truth and atone. Cause and effect, cause and effect, cause and effect... karma, tit for tat, yin and yang, E=MC2... The only way to stop a destructive cycle is with forgiveness. But, forgiveness is not ours to give. It is ours to request only. Atone, hope for forgiveness and refuse to continue the cycle. Sounds so simple...

Maybe that's why P is being so nice.

Love and light my friends!

Some after and before pictures and chickens on a wire

Hey chickies and roos,
i've been working so hard in my yard that i am about worn out. Above are some before and after pictures plus one of Budda and Precious on the crossbeams of the old canopy (the one that collapsed under the weight of 18" of snow last December). The canopy is down now. The corner posts are going to be turned into supports for another shade cover. i'll make it using a piece of my brother's old shed that he deconstructed. The new nesting box is almost done. i'll post pictures tomorrow.
The other pictures above are of the front (weed) garden before and after and my watering area before and after. P wants me to plant corn so i told him he had to get the front mess all ready and he did. Tomorrow i will plant corn and pumpkins.
i've got the compost area set up using the bales of straw that i put around the coop for the winter. i could not have done it without P and T, pictured at top. The bales were a ton, being wet to the core from snow and rain. i got that picture of them while they took a well deserved rest in the shade.

OK, enough for today. More to tomorrow, chickies and roos. Love you...

i'm on vaca chickies and roos

That's pretty much all i have to say. Four days off and the sun is gonna shine. I'll be checking in.

Radish sprouts! and dying lettuce...

i have radish sprouts! No sign of peas yet and my lettuce has been eaten by some kind of larva or worm. i think they fell from the tree next door. i got pictures of what looked to be a newly hatched butterfly (see here) a week or ten days ago. i think this is related, but what do i know.

So, i need to rethink the lettuce. We are due for fabulous weather this weekend and i think i am going to take a long weekend from work so i can work around the house. Yahoo! i'm also taking a longer weekend in May.

i'm in the process of converting a shipping crate into a new nesting box for the chickens. i'll post pictures this weekend.

Ooh, i'm getting excited. i love being home and futzing around the house and yard. i get up with the chickens everyday. i have to. They need to come out of their coop at daylight so... Going back to bed never seems to happen even though i tell myself to go for it. A nice breakfast and some coffee, and i'm ready to go. i'm such a gooner (gooner means nerd/not cool).

Thank you for your prayers or candle lighting for my friend D. She sounds more grounded now and she sounds like light has gotten into some of her corners. Hey D! Love you.

i just talked to P. i hope to get his help on some projects around here. He has lost his job like so many others, and i think he should keep busy. He probably does not appreciate my thoughts on this. Love you P.

Signing off chickies and roos,
C

I cannot put in words how much i love this

OMG!

I watched this three times and cried every time.

I need a prayer for a friend. Light a candle, please, or call on a spirit helper.

Take my hand Debbie.  I won't let go. 

Garden boxes and butterflies

i'm not sure i have anything interesting to say today but i have not posted in a few days so i feel like i should check in.

The weather was AMAZING last weekend and i got my garden boxes put back into shape for the season. Here are the before and after pictures but i'm not sure you can tell the difference.

In the other box, i planted lettuce, Walla Walla onions, radishes, and peas.  P is doing the hard work of tilling up the front yard and i will plant corn.  Don't get me wrong, i am not taking out grass to plant corn.  There is a large space between our front doors that was overgrown with old bushes and such.  It had basically become a weed patch.  The problem with it was that the bushes had gnarly root balls that were really hard to get out, as well as, layers of plastic weed blocker.  He is prepping it on the promise that i will grow corn (and pumpkins between the rows of corn).  i would normally not grow corn because it takes too much space for too few ears, but i would do just about anything to get that patch cleaned up.

This weekend the weather is not going to be so cooperative, so i will start my cucumber indoors.  i plan to grow cucs, beans and carrots in the box pictured above.  i had good luck with cantalope last year so i'm going to try them again in the ends of the raspberry boxes.  With sunflowers galore in the corner patch, i ought to keep busy all summer.  

i got a picture of this butterfly that looked freshly hatched from it cocoon.  The body was still fuzzy and i followed it around for awhile until it's wings dried and it flew away.

Later chickies and roos!